So, today all we really did was yard work. It was actually quite of bit of fun and the temperatures were about right for it. We planted all the flowers in the front yard flower beds, mowed the lawns, weeded all the flower beds, weeded the garden, spread some "sunshine" (a manure, poultry, wood shaving mix called Nutri-multch), tilled the garden, and ate some food. We did at least wash our hands in between all the yard work before eating though. T asked why we had to use the mulch. As I was spreading 10 bags of it all over the garden before tilling it in, smelling the wonderful smells and trying to keep it off my clothes, I wondered exactly the same thing.
T was Grandpa's best helper today. He rarely left his side and was so happy to help. He really was a HARD worker the WHOLE day! It was so fun for him and I think that Grandpa was not only impressed at his work ethic, but he and T loved the time they spent together as well. I think T especially liked sneaking up on Grandpa with his water gun in the heat of the day. Grandma is out East watching my Brother and Sister-in-laws kids for two and half weeks.
A decided that she wanted to be my special helper. They both took breaks here and there. In this picture A thought it was the right time for a quick swing, but she was an amazing helper today. I cannot believe how willing they are to work. She loved it and was so worried as we weeded the garden (our big chore shown to the left of her) that she was getting the roots of the weeds out. We had a lot of fun. We might have violated child labor laws, but really there was no stopping them.
So, you could only see a slight bit of the garden in the last picture, but the whole thing was full of weeds from this year's heavy rain and snow fall. After I spread all the "sunshine" around, I tilled it all under. I took a picture of the tiller here that I affectionately think of as a beast. It is actually 24 years old and has only had 2 real tune-ups. That thing is amazing and just keeps on going. I have used it since I was eleven, not only on our garden, but on many neighbors gardens as well. It never stops working (knock on wood). The other thing is that it only has 3 1/2 horsepower, yet many times it feels as though I am really holding back 3 1/2 horses. I mean I am not the toughest guy in the world, but size has got to count for something. Especially size 15 feet digging into the dirt to hold the thing back. Anyway, hopefully one day I will inherit it because I am thinking it will still be working in another 20 or so years. - The kids asked me how the mulch is made. When I explained what it really is, their eyes went as big as saucers, and they said, "W-W-W-WHATTT?!!!" Apparently their Daddy teases them enough that they thought I was just making it up.
